Urban Decay

Brand Spotlight: Urban Decay

June 3rd, 2015 by Karen 18 Comments

When I think of Urban Decay, the first thing that comes to mind isn’t nakedness or bright colors…

It’s grass.

Because when I visited their Southern California offices a few years ago (and had a major fangirl moment when I met Wende Zomnir IN THE FLESH!!), I was tripping out over how the floors in their bathrooms looked like grass…

I mean, if there’s anything that could give you a good idea of what a makeup brand is really like, it’s having grass-printed floors in the bathroom.

It’s been interesting to watch the brand grow from a small niche makeup line (remember when you could only find their nail polishes at, like, Urban Outfitters?) into a major makeup player, and now with L’Oreal backing them, it seems like they’re doing a lot of different things and expanding their line quicker than you can say “Perversion Pencil.”

Case in point: UD’s latest launches. Here’s a list of some of the recent Urban Decay coverage on MBB…
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10 Things You Should Know About the Urban Decay Naked Smoky Palette

June 2nd, 2015 by Karen 54 Comments

10 Things You Should Know About the Urban Decay Naked Smoky Palette

It’s smokier than the time my brother showed up late to a hip-hop dance show smelling like he spent the last 20 minutes hot-boxing in the car. Translation: it’s incredibly freaking smokey! — and you can do a lot of different things with it, like a smokey bronze eye, smokey gray, smokey brownish black, a smokey black panda eye, a smokey plum, a smokey taupe… Lots of smokey possibilities.
It’s completely clothing optional (It’s called Naked Smoky, after all, which reminds me… I spell it “smokey,” but UD spells it “smoky”), although I do recommend wearing clothes if you’re going out wearing this makeup.
On that note, I may or may not be wearing clothes in these pics. Take a guess! 🙂 And then say “CLOTHES: YES” or “CLOTHES: NO” in the comments. LOL!
The name may cause confusion if you discuss it with your Filipino mother.
MOM: What are you doing?
ME: Oh, checking out this thing called Naked Smoky.
MOM: What do you mean you’re naked!? I didn’t raise you to be naked on the Internet!
ME: No. Mom, no, I’m not naked…
MOM: And you’re smoking now too? Smoking is bad. Don’t smoke!
If you go to DSW wearing Naked Smoky on your lids, you’ll be the most glamorous person there. (True story! I just got back from looking at shoes… Didn’t buy anything, boo.)
It will not help you make friends with the neighborhood kitties…but it can be used to create smokey eyes like the eyes of your favorite smokey-eyed kitty.
Speaking of cats, if you happen to run into Tabs while wearing the grays and browns in this palette and he rubs his face all over your face (as he’s apt to do when he’s looking for love), you will not be able to see the cat hairs he leaves on you since most of these colors match his fur. Again, true story.
If you get it, you’ll have another brush to add to your “Emergency”/”Just in Case”/”Things I Probably Won’t Use Every Day” pile, because the dual-ended brush that comes with it is meh. I’ll give it props for not being scratchy, but I think the brush heads are too dense and stiff to do any real-deal hard-core smokey blending. They just end up pushing stuff all over the place, so I’d grab a fluffy tapered brush and a domed blending brush instead. Fluffy blending brushes all the way, son!
While playing with it, you may become so wrapped up that you forget to eat lunch. Yes…you guessed it. TRUE. STORY.
It hurts like a mo’ fo’ when it falls on your foot. So try to avoid dropping it on your foot. 🙂

The 411 on the Urban Decay Naked Smoky palette

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With the Urban Decay Summer 2015 Ultimate Ozone Multipurpose Primer Pencil, Ozone Bulks Up

April 9th, 2015 by Karen 23 Comments

One thing’s clear about Urban Decay’s $20 Ultimate Ozone Multipurpose Primer Pencil — this handy husky wonder multitasks, and it handles some of its tasks better than others.

This here is basically a larger version of UD’s existing clear Ozone Lip Pencil, which many makeup lovers use for multiple purposes. It’s a clear-colored, unscented, unflavored multipurpose pencil with a silicone-like texture.

Have you ever tried Benefit’s dr. feelgood? It feels a lot like that — slippery and velvety — and did I mention it multitasks?

For instance, you can use it as a lip primer, where it helps keep your lipstick or gloss from wandering beyond your natural lip line, anchoring them down for extended wear time. Just trace and fill in your lips with Ozone first, and then layer your gloss and/or lipstick on top.

You can also use it as a makeup remover, by dabbing Ozone lightly over any mascara, eyeshadow or liquid liner boo-boos/mistakes, and then lifting any wayward flecks and bits away with a Q-tip.

Or, use it as a blurring face primer, by blending it all over and around fine lines and wrinkles.

First, I think it rocks as a lip primer. It makes my lipgloss last and stay put much longer than when I’m just left to my own devices without it (I’m a lip smacker/rubber, as you may already know if you’ve watched my YouTube videos… I know, I know. I’m trying to break the habit, but it’s so hard!).
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Urban Decay Summer 2015: The Eyeshadow Primer Potions Get New Outfits

April 8th, 2015 by Karen 43 Comments

Shakin’ my head, man, because…repackaging. In theory, I don’t mind it, as long as the product itself, assuming I like it, which I do in this case, doesn’t change, and the new packaging improves upon something or makes the whole experience better, as in NOT harder to use.

What I’m not crazy about is new packaging, when the new package contains less product, especially when the price stays the same, OR actually goes up.

It’s been happening a lot over the past few years, like with the Tarte LipSurgences and Tarte Cheek Stains, or the Benefit Boxed Blushes…and now it’s happening at Urban Decay.

Their newly repackaged Eyeshadow Primer Potion tubes, which are being released with the new Summer 2015 Collection, are slightly smaller than the previous versions (0.33-ounce tubes now, versus what had been 0.37 ounces).

It’s a very, very small difference in size, and the prices remain the same, thankfully — $20 for the Original, Eden, Minor Sin and Enigma Primer Potions, and $24 for the Anti-Aging one — but still.

I’m all for streamlining and lightening one’s load, but seriously, what’s up with that?

Anywho. #rantover 🙂

urban decay eyeshadow primer — The Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potions, $20-24 each

UD’s eyeshadow primers are designed to be worn under powder and cream shadows for more vibrant color and longer wear time, and that hasn’t changed. Neither have the formulas, really, but we do get a new one, Enigma (available now), and a slightly reworked Sin (now called Minor Sin), while the others — Original, Eden and Anti-Aging — are carryovers updated with the new packaging. Original formula dries down invisibly, while Eden, Minor Sin and Greed are shades that can also be worn as shadows or highlighters.

Regarding the packaging, UD kept the squeeze tube but removed the needlepoint applicator, replacing it with a doe-foot bedazzled with a bejeweled cap.

Ooh, fancy…

urban decay eyeshadow primer swatches — From the left: Original, Eden, Minor Sin and Anti-Aging

I like the new doe-foot. I actually prefer it to the old needlepoint because I can cover a lot of space with it on my lids quickly, not that it took a ton of time with the needlepoint tip. I think the doe-foot’s just a little faster. Minor thing though.
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Urban Decay Summer 2015: New Eyeshadow Shades

April 8th, 2015 by Karen 20 Comments

Well, now I know what to wear in the unlikely event that Charli XCX invites me to be a backup dancer in one of her videos. This: the new Urban Decay Summer 2015 Eyeshadow shades (arriving April 15 at Urban Decay counters and online for $18 each).

The “shifts,” as they’re called, have a cool 20-something party girl vibe. It’s very “big hair don’t care/let’s get drunk on the mini-bar.”

But I’m getting ahead of myself! — so lemme back up a little.

[INSERT SOUND OF AN OLD-SCHOOL CASSETTE TAPE REWINDING *HERE*]

The eight new shades join UD’s existing Eyeshadow permanent line. Six of them are “shifts” — duo-chromes that appear to change color in the light, like that holographic thing. The other two are matte browns, about which I have to say, “YAY!” Transition colors. 🙂 LOL! Leave it to me to get all cheerleader-y about the matte browns…

Whatever, I can always use another matte brown. Hand on my heart and hair to the sky, it’s the truth!

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Urban Decay Summer 2015 Collection: Afterglow 8-Hour Powder Blush Has Boomchickawawa Written All Over It

April 7th, 2015 by Karen 41 Comments

Afterglow.

Like boomchickawawa!

In a pan.

But without the sweat and potentially awkward conversation.

And/or nakedness. 🙂

Yes! — Urban Decay’s new line of powder blush singles joins the permanent line on April 15 with the rest of the Urban Decay Summer 2015 Collection. The brand does already have a line of blush trios (which are called Naked Flushed), but these represent their first foray into The Land of Blush Singles in a while.

They’re $26 each and available in 12 shades, with the idea being that you put one of them on, and boom! — you look like you’ve been boomchickawawa-ing all day long, which would certainly burn a lot of calories, but I digress…

There are some neutrals here, as well as some crazy colors, but I think they’ll all be fairly wearable by beginners and full-on makeup divas with a capital “D.” And even the brighter colors, like bright purple Bittersweet and reddish orange Bang, are easy to blend out on my cheeks.

Unfortunately, there is a catch… They kick up a lot of powder, because the formula is super soft and airy, and very light. When I run a brush across one of the pan, the brush picks up and scoots around a lot of powder — more than when I use denser blushes by MAC or NARS.

So, on the one hand, you might make a little mess with these while you’re applying ’em, but on the other hand, they’re easy to blend. There are some things you can do to minimize the messiness factor, too, like, after swirling my brush in the pan, I’ll tap, tap, tap it firmly against the edge of the compact to unload every ounce of excess, and if that still isn’t enough, I’ll lightly blow on the brush head before bringing it to my cheeks.

urban decay afterglow blush — Urban Decay Afterglow 8-Hour Powder Blush ($26 each)

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Urban Decay Summer 2015 Collection: It’s a Revolution of Lipglosses!

April 7th, 2015 by Karen 14 Comments

NOVATO, CA — This is Karen from UD News reporting live from my makeup bag…

It’s chaos! There are Savage creatures running all over the place, Big Bangs left and right, and somebody’s walking through the street? I don’t know… They appear to be Punch Drunk. There’s only one word to describe the scene unfolding before me now: revolution!

An Urban Decay Lipgloss Revolution. 🙂

Yes, this is the Urban Decay that many of us know and love. Over the past few years, they’ve gotten a little naked happy, which is also cool, but this new line of 14 pigmented lipglosses (coming April 15 to counters and online) swings the pigment pendulum all the way to the other side, with liters of rich color and shades that your grandma might see and be like, “Young lady, do you wear that outside?? I’m not sure if a respectable young girl should wear that outside…”

Yup, these are those kinds of colors. To put it a different way, if UD’s Naked glosses are Sunday brunch, these are Friday night.

Of course, there are also a few less harrowing shades, but we’ll get to those in a minute…

So, Urban Decay has done lipgloss lines before, and you might remember a couple years ago when they did the flat ones with the half-naked dudes? Well, those were shaped very much like these — flat, so that you can put them in your back pocket, and they won’t bulge. In this case, the clear plastic tubes are also textured, and they look almost wavy…like you’re about to dive into an ocean and swim through a school of gloss.

These are also unlike another other UD lipglosses I can recall in that they’re unflavored and unscented, which should open the door to some people who didn’t like the flavor of UD’s other glosses.

As for coverage, you won’t need to put a lot on your lips to see these colors. I’d classify them as just shy of full coverage — like teetering on the edge on kitty tippy-toes.

Interestingly, the medium-weight formula starts non-sticky, but seems to get stickier over time as they’re worn and you smack your lips together. They get stickier and slightly tacky, which I think helps them hang on longer than UD’s non-sticky glosses. For me, these last between three and four hours.

urban decay revolution lipgloss — Urban Decay Revolution Lipglosses, $22 each

Most of the colors are creams, with a sprinkling of glittery shades. The glittery ones, though, are still comfortable. I have to point that out, because they aren’t gritty or obnoxious at all.

The only one I haven’t seen up close is Kinky, which looks like a creamy tan nude.

For everyday colors, my favorites are medium creamy pinkish nude Liar and light neutral pink Failbait, but you know…those are the kinds of colors you stick in your purse and eventually forget about…

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Urban Decay Summer 2015 Collection Overview and First Impressions [VIDEO]

April 6th, 2015 by Karen 15 Comments

Well slather me in sunscreen, and fan my face! I think I might overheat from all the blazing hotness that is Urban Decay’s Summer 2015 Collection.

Homegirl, brace yourself for a brand new line of pigmented glosses (Revolution High-Color Lipgloss), new Primer Potion packaging, new eyeshadow shades in holographic-like shifting colors and a DOPE new line of powder blushes that will make you wish it was more socially acceptable to wear blush on your forehead, nose and ears (I WANT TO WEAR ALL THE COLORS).

Here’s a video overview (with some swatches) of the release, which arrives on UD counters April 15. I’ll be posting looks and more detailed reviews over the next few days.

Thank you as always for watching!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen